🔬 The Debrief on Saturday’s dramatic Premier League action

It was a quiet Saturday fixture list with just five Premier League games taking place, but they still provided plenty of action.

Here’s how it all went down.

What happened?

Manchester City claimed a straightforward 1-0 win over winless Southampton thanks to a goal from Erling Haaland.

Then the drama began, as Bournemouth struck in the 97th minute to snatch a point against Aston Villa.

Ipswich led 2-0 before falling 3-2 behind and going down to 10 men, eventually losing 4-3 to Brentford as their winless run continued.

And there was more late drama for Wolves, where Gary O’Neil’s side recovered from 2-0 down to snatch a point against Brighton in the closing stages.

Finally, a stoppage time goal from Beto rescued a draw for Everton at home to Fulham.

Player of the day

Coming into the season without Ivan Toney, there were plenty of question marks at Brentford, but Bryan Mbuemo has filled the role seamlessly.

His penalty put them ahead minutes into the second half against Ipswich, before he popped up deep in stoppage time with his eighth goal of the season.

The brace made him the first Brentford player to hit 50+ goals or assists in the Premier League for the Bees, and his fitness will be vital for their success this season.

Stat of the day

Not a good day at the office for Harry Clarke…..

What this means

The results move Manchester City top of the Premier League and Aston Villa up to third ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool locking horns on Sunday.

At the other end, Wolves’ draw moves them off the foot of the table and above Southampton, with Crystal Palace having the chance to move out of the relegation zone with a result against Tottenham tomorrow.

Elsewhere, Brentford moved into the top half with their late win, and Brighton remain in fifth as their strong start continues, despite throwing away two points.

What they said

📸 Dan Mullan – 2024 Getty Images

Andoni Iraola was pleased with his side’s result, though less so with the Bournemouth performance: “It is always nice when you have a point at the end, in the last minute of the game. I don’t feel we played well, but we competed well. We faced a very good team and they started better than us. It was difficult.”

Meanwhile, Wolves boss Gary O’Neil admitted the fault for his side’s poor start lay with him. “I’m a little bit disappointed, with myself really, that I started with five [at the back]. I know we did well with a five-back against Manchester City, and [I thought] the lads deserved another go at it.”

And Thomas Frank was nervous in the first half of his side’s 4-3 win over Ipswich, telling reporters: “In many ways we did not do well enough, so big respect and praise to Ipswich. They were by far the better team for the first 40 minutes. There was only one team on the pitch [in that period], it was one of our worst ever [periods] in the Premier League.”

What comes next?

The lack of football on Saturday means that there is plenty taking place on Sunday.

Chelsea host Newcastle, Tottenham travel to Crystal Palace, and under pressure, bosses Julen Lopetegui and Erik ten Hag do battle in the early slot. Then, Arsenal and Liverpool meet in a titanic clash later on Sunday afternoon.